The Wrestler

This movie affected me. I think that’s the mark of a great movie; that when the closing credits are rolling, you find yourself sitting there feeling like you’ve just been somewhere. If you haven’t seen this movie, you should.
We can all relate to Mickey Rourke’s character in The Wrestler. Randy “The Ram” Robinson is twenty years past his best moments in the ring, but he keeps on going because he doesn’t seem to know what else to do. Or, more specifically, he doesn’t know what else to be.  Through the course of the movie he reaches out various people, and always winds up making a mess of things. The harder he tries, the more isolated he makes himself, until his only option is to go out in a blaze of glory, leaping from the top rope during a match while in the midst of having a heart attack (providing the movie’s defining image).
You’d be hard pressed not to see parallels in this movie with Mickey Rourke’s personal life, but that only adds depth to the character. By the end of it, you feel like Randy “The Ram” Robinson is a friend, and your heart goes out to him. In my mind, that’s the mark of a great character, in which people from all walks of life can see pieces of themselves in the character. I think this one is a keeper.
5 out of 5 stars